Sunday, August 2, 2015

At Home in Persimmon Hollow by Gerri Bauer

Opening Paragraph: A fine man, indeed. What had that woman in Jacksonville been thinking? Agnes Foster sighed. She didn't need this discouraging first encounter, not when she was already tired, bedgraggled, and disappointed in her new surroundings. The Persimmon Hollow train station was nothing more than a log shelter in a hot, isolated wilderness. It was definitely not what she expected."

Synopsis:At Home in Persimmon Hollow is the first book in a series chronicling the world of Agnes Foster and the people of frontier-era Florida. In 1886, Agnes Foster is forced to leave the Catholic orphanage in New York where she grew up to start a new life as a teacher in Persimmon Hollow, Florida, a town she has only ever seen in a newspaper ad. With nothing but her strong Catholic faith to sustain her, she leaves behind the only home she’s ever known and the little girl she hopes to adopt, and encounters a wild and beautiful new landscape, and a town full of hardworking, faith-filled people. She also meets the difficult, yet handsome and hard-to-ignore Seth Taylor, a man whose heart has been hardened to God after a terrible loss. Just as Agnes starts to feel Persimmon Hollow could be a good home for her and her daughter, and that Seth could be her love, tragedy strikes in the form of a trio of evil men from both their pasts, intent on doing them more harm. Will their fragile new love survive? Will Seth return to his faith? Can Agnes finally escape her dark past and find a bright new future?Review by Mirella PatzerAlso visitHistory and Womenfor bios and biographical book reviewsAt Home in Persimmon Hollow by Gerri Bauer is a Catholic / Christian based historical romance novel. Set in 19th century Florida, at the heart of the story is a young woman named Agnes Foster who was raised in a Catholic orphange by nuns. After an incident with a villain, Rufus Smith, she is compelled to leave the orphanage and strike out on her own as a teacher in Persimmon Hollow. There, through a young 12 year old boy named Billy, she encounters his uncle Seth, a handsome loner. Soon, her past catches up to hger, throwing her into grave danger. In this heartwarming story-line, we experience good vs evil as entire town comes together to either aid or hamper poor Agnes. And of course, love blossoms with Seth. What a stunning cover! It definitely drew me to the book. I enjoyed reading a Catholic romance novel, my first, and the unique setting of 19th century Florida. The Christianity in this novel is a bit stronger than other novels, which will appeal to some and discourage others. For me, it was pure enjoyment. A nice story indeed!

Thank you to the author and publisher. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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